Stephen Leather - False Friends

Shepherd put the photographs back in the envelope. ‘Hey, don’t worry about it,’ he said. ‘I’m just glad it had a happy ending. And it shows that the training we did worked just fine. You spotted the tail and we checked it out and no one’s the wiser.’

‘Are you telling me this has all been a waste of time?’ asked Malik.

‘Better safe than sorry,’ said Shepherd. ‘Think of it as another training exercise.’

‘And you’ll pay for my petrol, right?’

Shepherd took his wallet out of his pocket. ‘No problem, Harvey.’

Malik and Chaudhry were sitting on the sofa watching TV when Malik’s mobile rang. He looked at the screen but didn’t recognise the number. He frowned over at Chaudhry. ‘Dunno who it is.’ he said. ‘Do you think it’s Khalid?’

‘Tell you what, brother, why not press the green button and you’ll find out?’

Malik took the call.

‘Harvey?’ It was a girl.

‘Yes?’

‘It’s Nadia.’

‘Nadia?’

‘You’ve forgotten me already? Oh dear.’

Malik grimaced. The girl in the library. ‘Sorry, yes, Nadia, yeah, of course. Hey. How are you?’

‘I’m fine,’ she said. ‘But my laptop’s given up the ghost. I couldn’t ask a huge favour. .?’

‘Sure, you want me to have a look at it?’

‘Would you, Harvey? That would be great. I’ve got an essay here that’s got to be in tomorrow and the thing won’t even boot up. You couldn’t come round here now, could you?’

‘Where are you?’

‘Finsbury Park. Is that close to you?’

‘Just down the road,’ he said. ‘Text me your address and I’ll come right round.’

He ended the call and grinned at Chaudhry.

‘Not Khalid, then?’

‘Some bird I met in the library. Nadia. Fit like you wouldn’t believe me.’

‘What does she want?’

‘Why do you think she wants anything, brother?’

‘Because she’s a fit bird and she’s ringing you. I’m putting two and two together.’

‘She wants help with her laptop.’ Malik picked up a thick pullover and put it on.

‘Who’s going to take care of her dog?’

Malik frowned. ‘What dog?’

‘Her guide dog. She’s blind, right?’

Malik scowled. ‘Screw you, brother.’

Chaudhry laughed. ‘Well, that’ll be the only screwing you’ll get.’

‘I’m fixing her laptop. End of.’

‘You told her to switch it off and on again?’

Malik laughed. ‘That’ll be the first thing I try.’ He headed for the kitchen balcony to get his bike. ‘See you when I see you.’

‘You’ll be back for Isha’a?’

‘I don’t know brother,’ Malik called from the kitchen. ‘Maybe. Depends how it goes.’

‘We need to be seen at the mosque every day, brother. It’s important.’

‘I know. I was there this morning.’ He grinned. ‘But don’t wait up, yeah?’

‘You should take a biscuit for the dog,’ said Chaudhry. He was still laughing as Malik wheeled his bike from the kitchen and out through the front door.

Malik looked up at the building where Nadia lived. She was in apartment 4G, which probably meant she was on the fourth floor, so he didn’t think there was much chance of taking his bike up with him. Outside an office he found a run of black railings with a painted metal notice warning that bikes would be removed but the office was in darkness so he figured he’d be okay. He pulled a plastic-covered chain from his pocket and padlocked the rear wheel and frame to the railings. He went back to the main entrance and pressed her bell on the entryphone. It rang out and she answered.

‘Hello?’

‘It’s Harvey, computer repairs a speciality.’

‘Come on in, Harvey. Take the lift to the fourth floor.’

The lock buzzed and Malik pushed the door open. The lift was small and seemed to take for ever to reach the fourth floor. He walked along to Nadia’s door and knocked. He waited, switching his weight from foot to foot, and was just about to knock again when the door opened.

She smiled up at him. ‘My knight in shining armour,’ she said.

‘I am here to serve,’ he joked. She opened the door wide and he stepped across the threshold. She was wearing a blue sweatshirt with the word LONDON across the front in alternating red, white and blue letters, and a dark-blue skirt. She’d tied her hair back with a scrunchy and for the first time he noticed the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and around her neck. He realised that she wasn’t as young as he’d first thought. In her thirties, maybe. But still pretty. ‘So where’s the laptop?’

She closed the door. ‘No need to rush,’ she said. ‘We can have a chat first.’

There was a small kitchen to the right, and a door to the left that he assumed led to the bedroom. There was a two-seater sofa in green leather facing a flatscreen TV on the wall. He took off his jacket and sat down on the sofa. ‘Sure,’ he said. ‘Chatting is one of my favourite things.’

The bedroom door opened and a man walked out. He was Asian, wearing a Chelsea football shirt and holding a gun. Malik started to get up but the man moved quickly and pushed him back down, prodding him in the chest with the barrel of the gun.

‘What is this?’ asked Malik, his voice a frightened squeak. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Like I said, Harvey, we’re going to have a chat. You, me and my two friends.’

A second man came out of the bedroom. Another Asian. This one was holding a knife and a coil of wire.

Malik looked at Nadia fearfully. ‘I haven’t done anything,’ he said.

‘I hope that’s true,’ said Nadia.

Chaudhry’s alarm woke him at six-thirty, which gave him plenty of time to shower and eat breakfast before heading to the mosque for Fajr, the first prayers of the day. He went to the mosque for Fajr most days. Malik tended to oversleep and more often than not performed his prayers on a mat in the bedroom, positioned so that it pointed to Mecca.

After he’d showered and pulled on a clean shirt and jeans, Chaudhry popped two slices of bread into the toaster and then knocked on Malik’s door before pushing it open. ‘Rise and shine, Harvey,’ he said. He flicked on the light. Malik’s bed was empty. Chaudhry grinned. ‘You naughty, naughty boy,’ he whispered to himself.

His mobile phone began to ring and he hurried back into the kitchen. He picked it up, expecting to talk to his friend, but it was a number he didn’t recognise. It was Khalid.

‘Good morning, brother,’ said Khalid. ‘Today is a joyous day because today is the day we carry out Allah’s work.’

‘That’s great news, brother,’ said Chaudhry. His heart began to pound and he took a deep breath to steady himself.

‘I need you and Harveer to be ready to go at five o’clock, brother,’ said Khalid. ‘The same place as last time. You will be collected.’

‘We will be there,’ said Chaudhry.

‘Today we shall teach the kaffir a lesson they will never forget,’ said Khalid. ‘Inshallah.’

‘Inshallah,’ repeated Chaudhry. God willing.

Shepherd was dragged from a dreamless sleep by his ringing BlackBerry. He rolled over in his bed and grabbed for the phone. It was Chaudhry. ‘Hey, Raj, what’s up?’

‘It’s today,’ said Chaudhry. ‘We’re to be picked up at five o’clock.’

Shepherd sat up, suddenly wide awake. ‘What happened?’

‘Khalid just phoned. Pretty much the same as last time. We’re to be picked up outside the restaurant again.’

‘And no indication of what they’re planning?’

‘Same as before,’ said Chaudhry. ‘But there’s a problem. Harvey’s not here.’

‘Where is he?’

‘He went to see some girl last night and didn’t come back.’